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Nursery at St Matthew's CofE Primary School
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
A morning class with an optional Little Acorns extension shapes nursery life at St Matthew's. The morning provision has 26 places; the extension has 16. That difference matters for family planning: a morning place and an extended day are separate things to arrange.
Children can join from the term following their third birthday. This is the school's own nursery provision, based on Cottenham Park Road, West Wimbledon. For families choosing an introduction to school through morning attendance, the basic pattern is straightforward. Those needing a longer day must also consider Little Acorns' smaller capacity and its four-day timetable.
Morning attendance runs from 8.45am until 11.45am, Monday to Friday. Little Acorns continues from 11.45am to 3.30pm on Monday to Thursday during term time. The two sessions meet at the same clock time, allowing children with an extension place to remain beyond the morning session.
There is one concrete glimpse of nursery learning in the March 2023 inspection: children explored animal types, including reptiles. That gives parents a specific example of learning about the natural world, rather than a general promise about preparation for school. It is an example from that inspection period, rather than a description of a current daily timetable.
Little Acorns takes children who attend the morning nursery. It therefore extends attendance for members of the morning class; it is not a separate afternoon option for children attending elsewhere. Families arranging the longer session need both places.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place. Parents must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions process and meet the deadline for their child's entry year.
The application route is Merton's online admissions service for borough residents, or the family's home local authority for those living elsewhere. A Foundation (Church) application also requires a supplementary form. For the September 2026 Reception cycle, the deadline for both the online application and supplementary paperwork was 15 January 2026. That is a past deadline, not a date to use for a later intake.
St Matthew's handles nursery applications itself. After the September 2026 intake, January or April 2027 entry depends on spare capacity. Applicants join a waiting list, with confirmation at the start of the preceding term. Eligibility by age alone therefore does not establish a start date.
Extended hours. Little Acorns gives September entrants priority. Children joining in January or April may receive an extension place if capacity allows, and receive priority for Little Acorns the following September. This priority concerns extended nursery hours, not Reception admission.
Friday planning. The morning class runs on Fridays, while Little Acorns operates Monday to Thursday. Families using the extension should plan around that shorter Friday pattern.
For nursery enquiries, contact the school office on 020 8947 7227 or email office@st-matthews.merton.sch.uk.
Children are eligible from the beginning of the term after their third birthday. January and April 2027 starts depend on capacity after the September intake.
The morning class runs from 8.45am to 11.45am, Monday to Friday.
Only morning nursery children can attend. It has 16 places and runs from 11.45am to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday in term time, with priority for September entrants.
No. Parents need a separate Reception application through Merton's admissions service or their home local authority, as appropriate.
Contact the school office on 020 8947 7227 or office@st-matthews.merton.sch.uk. The school manages its own nursery admissions.
